Montium
Montium is an action-adventure video game developed by Toshiko Games. It is unique among Toshiko video games because it relies on very minimal storytelling techniques. It may or may not be a spiritual successor to the Klio franchise. Plot The story of Montium begins with an old man entering the Valley of Sorrow, traveling through a temple that serves as the entrance.. He brings with him several pieces of Enchanted Equipment: a magical blade called the Dagger of Souls, a sling, and a pair of Enchanted Sandals. Arriving at the Temple, the Old Man brings with him one directive: kill all twenty-five Behemoths, enormous and magical creatures made entirely of stone. As he inspects the temple, he finds a series of engravings on the wall. These tell of the ancient legend that brought the old man here. Long ago, twenty-five stone creatures called Behemoths were banished to the Valley of Sorrow because they were too destructive. It is said that their souls can heal any wound. The Old Man has recently been cursed by a sorcerer named Magius. He hopes that by killing all 25 Behemoths, he can use their combined souls to relieve him of the curse. He sets off with his Enchanted Equipment to complete his quest. After the Old Man kills each Behemoth, it appears that a mysterious figure is always one step behind him. This figure is always there at the scene of each Behemoth's death, wearing a robe and inspecting each corpse with a gloved hand. After the death of the 24th Behemoth, Tribus the Hydra, the Old Man inspects the temple engravings to learn the location of the 25th Behemoth. However, he discovers that the location of the creature isn't carved into the wall. Suddenly, he is interrupted by the cloaked figure that was following him. The figure removes his hood, revealing him to be Magius, the sorcerer who cursed the Old Man. Magius reveals that his real name is Infernus and that he is in fact the 25th Behemoth in a mortal body. He reveals that long ago, a sorcerer named Magius attempted to kill the Behemoths to relieve himself of a curse as well. He failed and was killed by Infernus. Infernus realized that no one would try to kill him if he weren't a Behemoth and locked his soul inside Magius's body. However, as time went on, the body began to age rapidly. He realized he needed to return to his Behemoth body to survive, but he couldn't undo the spell. So he decided to place a curse on someone else and have them kill the 24 Behemoths to make him whole again. Infernus attacks the Old Man, stealing the medallion that contains the 24 Behemoth souls. He absorbs the souls and transforms into his Behemoth form. The Old Man scales the massive beast and stabs it in the heart. After Infernus falls, the Old Man then absorbs all 25 souls, relieving him of his curse. As the Old Man starts to level the temple to return to his village, he glances into a pool of water and is shocked to discover that he now has the body of Magius, and the body is aging rapidly. Gameplay Beginning at a central point in an expansive landscape, the player seeks out and defeats a Behemoth, and is then returned to the central point to repeat the process. To find each Behemoth, the Old Man may pray to a deity, who will summon a bird-like creature called a Trentity that will quickly fly towards the next Behemoth. The journey to a Behemoth is seldom a straightforward matter: stretches of varied terrain often require that a detour be taken along the way. Most Behemoths are located in remote areas, such as atop cliffs or within ancient structures. Once a Behemoth is found, the player must discover its weaknesses to defeat it. Each Behemoth dwells in a unique lair, and many Behemoths cannot be defeated without making use of the surrounding environment. Every Behemoth has at least one weak point, indicated by a glowing target. Each Behemoth has areas covered with fur or protruding ledges, which the Old Man may use to grip and scale the Behemoth while it thrashes about in an attempt to dislodge him. While scaling a Behemoth, the player must act quickly, as the Old Man has a limited stamina gauge that decreases while he hangs onto the creature. The Old Man and the Behemoths have life bars to indicate their remaining health. A Behemoth's health will decrease significantly when its weak points are attacked, while the Old Man can be harmed by a Behemoth's attacks or a fall from great height. Throughout the game, the Old Man is equipped with only the Dagger of Souls and a sling. He also wears a pair of Enchanted Sandals that allow him to perform a Mystic Sprint. This is useful for crossing vast stretches of terrain or fleeing approaching Behemoths. Scattered throughout the environment are several villages inhabited by NPCs. Each village has a shop where you can trade in weapons for more powerful versions or purchase new types of ammo. Items are purchased with Emerald Stones, which can be found throughout the game world or recieved by completing small side quests for villagers. Connections to the Klio Franchise It is very unlikely that Montium and the Klio franchise are connected, but there are some mild similarities. Both games take place in a fantasy setting that seems to be technologically-primitive. Both games feature large stone creature that must be climbed (Behemoths for Montium and Totems for Klio). Oculus, one of the Behemoths, also has a slight resemblance to Terracrag, the Elemental Sprite of Earth from Klio. Carvings of some of the Totems from Klio and Klio II: Final Hours can be seen on the walls of the Temple of Prayer, but that is most likely nothing more than an easter egg. Trivia *''Montium'' may or may not be a spiritual successor to the Klio franchise, another game series by Toshiko Games. *Early in the game's conception, the game's plot involved a young woman praying in a temple who got trapped inside when she released 25 spirits. These spirits then possessed various statues scattered throughout the temple, thus creating the Behemoths. The concept was scrapped because having the game be entirely indoors seemed too limiting. *The word "Montium" is Latin for "Mountains", referring to the Behemoths themselves. Category:Games Category:Montium Category:Meta